Telegram-herald., 1887-07-02
AN AmERlcAN m LONDON.

A Californian Taken 70 Tssk ~ an Eng
HsAfn.n-rhanderstrn
r. Is & curious fact. and ono as pitiabie as
Il IS cuTl1sis. that bat few Engishmen, rs you
meet them. Aave ever been inside ths Tower
os London OF the british museum. I refnem-
her nOs louS ago speaking 70 a gentleman
from san Francisco on this very subject, and
the apHerenf lack of interest which English
people display n regard 20 their own coun-
try They wander al over tns globe FROM
the North Pole 20 TIE ADtarctis continent, N
search of aghts and wonders. and never once
dream q investigating anything at hone,
eiihes before tnry 70 or after tney ges hack.
lie sad.
Do ycu know, the saIne idea has struck
me very forc.bly. II You wsn pardon my
saying 50. never met a people OF any coun-
try, and | have Travelled considerably, who
were 50 ignorant os their native land and all
that makes u of interest 10 the foreigner.
While they 20 rambling about the world for
recreation, and can tell you aboUt things
worth seeing in other places, they know posi-
lively noshing about England. Ask EN-, and
see When abroad they penetrate the jungies
OF India, crcss the deserts OF Egypt and South
Africa. climb the mountains OF Switzerland,
and rough l. on the plains o' TIE far west.
but when II home tbey live the lives OF stereo-
typed gentlemen. eontent 70 pass their days
IN tlsir clubs or IN their country houses, doing
the same thing every day from one years end
20 the other and caring for nothing but their
own immediate personal surroundings Ihey
rlay tennis and cricket in summer; so 70
Few horse races hccaasc IL i the fashion;
shoot grouse, pGrtridges. and pdeasants IN
autumn, and hunt foxes in winter. Beyond
these things they care not hutton for any
thing Cariously enough. they don't realize
l. in themselves, though sharp enough to do
tect the same defect in others One Of ths
men / refer 70 asked me the other day some
thing about the Yosemite valley
Il have never been there" ! told him
He lst his glass drop cut Of Eis eye, 50
great ~as the elevation Of his eyebrows, as lie
held up bis hands IN amazeinent:
~Whael By Jove'r he exclaimed. Fancy
never seeing the Yosemite valley, and yoE'v
lived ia Frisco lzll Englishmen call Il FRISCO
how many years."
~Over twenty. You see, I could go any
dav. We thlrs nothing of hundred or two
miles la California
aWhv. man alive. / went six thousand
miles there. and six thousand miles back
again, done you know, to SEE the losemite
mvsslfr lie looked very proud Of himself
as he said thls
Look hsre,r said I. after minute. to let
him enjoy DIS SELF complacency. have you
ever seen StoDehengr|.
@Whnti N-no."
"Or the Giants ClusewayT
~NO."
"Oi- shakespeare's house at StratfoTd on
Av0lf
"Snor
cor Hampton Court, or the TowerP
"N-uo
eT1an you mustn't talk to me about never
gosnx 10 tEa Xosssnite. The Tower Is about
thres miles from here. I've been theTo half
a dozeu ;incs already. but dons nlissd going
again Lets jump into q hanson and drive
there now.
iIs looked tnunderStrrck. ~Ths Tower he
sai, isn't that toe place the 'Arries go 20 on
bank holidays Not today. pieass. Ive an
enEav-rnsnt % drive wita chap ia the park
Ia ia
That's pretty zuueh q, way u Is with all u
thern -@t toczai.rs' ga The Ary0raus-